Decorative sanitary absorbent article and method of using same

ABSTRACT

A decorative sanitary absorbent article and a method of using it, includes providing the absorbent article having a decorative appearance or indicia for use in a filmy undergarment having a similar decorative appearance or indicia, to conceal the sanitary absorbent article within the undergarment.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application,Ser. No. 61/372,048, filed Aug. 9, 2010, and entitled “DECORATIVESANITARY ABSORBENT ARTICLE AND METHOD OF USING SAME.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a sanitary absorbent articleto be worn in an undergarment. It more particularly relates to asanitary absorbent article with a certain decorative appearance thatallows for better concealment of the sanitary absorbent article when itis in use and a method of using the same.

BACKGROUND ART

There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this sectionlegally constitutes prior art.

Sanitary absorbent articles, such as maxi pads, ultra thin pads, pantyliners, adult incontinence pads, and nursing pads are well known and arewidely available in the marketplace. Sanitary absorbent articles aredesigned to absorb and retain fluid from the user's body and to preventthe user's body and clothing from being soiled by this fluid. In use,sanitary absorbent articles are worn in conjunction with anundergarment, interspersed between the user's body and the undergarment.

The majority of sanitary absorbent articles may be referred generally toas sanitary napkins. Sanitary napkins include sanitary absorbentarticles, such as maxi pads, ultra thin pads, panty liners, and adultincontinence pads. Sanitary napkins are inserted by the user into thecrotch portion of an undergarment, such as underpants.

Typically sanitary napkins are comprised of a main body portion that iselongated with longitudinally opposed front and rear ends andtransversally opposed side edges that extend along the length of thesanitary napkin. The main body portion is typically comprised of apermeable top sheet, an impermeable bottom sheet joined to the topsheet, and an absorbent layer encapsulated within the top sheet and thebottom sheet. The impermeable bottom sheet is typically coated with anadhesive for securing the sanitary napkin to the body side of the crotchportion of a user's underpants. In some varieties of sanitary napkins,such as some panty liners, the permeable top sheet may not be present,and the sanitary napkin will be comprised of an absorbent layeroverlying an impermeable bottom sheet.

A more recent variety of sanitary napkin, designed to fit the crotchportion of an undergarment with a narrow crotch, such as a thong, iscomprised of a main body portion with a general triangular shape, withthe front end being larger than the rear end.

Many sanitary napkins are further comprised of at least one pair oflateral foldable attachment panels (wings or flaps) projecting outwardlyfrom the opposed side edges to be folded and fastened to the undersideof the crotch portion of the underpants. The impermeable bottom sheetside of the attachment panels are frequently coated with an adhesive forfastening to the non-body side of the crotch portion of a user'sunderpants.

Another type of sanitary absorbent article is a nursing pad, which isinserted by the user into the cup portions of an undergarment, such as abrassiere.

Nursing pads are typically comprised of a cup-shaped body having apermeable concave top sheet, an impermeable convex bottom sheet joinedto the top sheet, and an absorbent layer encapsulated within the topsheet and the bottom sheet. The impermeable convex bottom sheet istypically coated with an adhesive for securing the nursing pad to thebody side of the cup portion of a user's brassiere. In some varieties ofnursing pads the permeable top sheet may not be present, and the nursingpad will be comprised of an absorbent layer overlying an impermeablebottom sheet.

Often sanitary absorbent articles are not completely concealed withinthe undergarment when worn, either being visible through the fabric ofthe undergarment or protruding along the outer edges of theundergarment. Such visibility of the sanitary absorbent article isundesirable to most users of the sanitary absorbent article.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of this invention and the manner of attaining them willbecome apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood byreference to the following description of certain embodiments of theinvention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a decorative sanitary napkin, according toa preferred embodiment of the present invention, as worn in a typicalunderpants type of undergarment, showing the certain decorativeappearance of the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin, whichmatches the certain decorative appearance of the underpants;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin depicted in FIG. 1, showing the certain decorativeappearance of the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin depicted in FIG. 1, showing the permeable top sheet ofthe sanitary napkin;

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin depicted in FIG. 1, showing a side edge of the sanitarynapkin;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a decorative sanitary napkin, according toanother preferred embodiment of the present invention, as worn in atypical underpants type of undergarment, showing the certain decorativeappearance of the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin, whichmatches the certain decorative appearance of the underpants, and showingthe certain decorative appearance of the permeable top sheet of thelateral foldable attachment panels, which matches the certain decorativeappearance of the underpants;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin depicted in FIG. 5, showing the certain decorativeappearance of the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin, whichdoes not extend to the lateral foldable attachment panels;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin depicted in FIG. 5, showing the permeable top sheet ofthe sanitary napkin, with the certain decorative appearance appearingonly on the lateral foldable attachment panels;

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of a decorative sanitary napkin, according toanother preferred embodiment of the present invention, as worn in atypical underpants type of undergarment, showing the certain decorativeappearance of the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin, whichmatches the certain decorative appearance of the underpants; and

FIG. 9 provides a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of thedecorative sanitary napkin depicted in FIG. 8, showing the certaindecorative appearance of the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitarynapkin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments asgenerally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could bearranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of thesystem, components and method of the present invention, as representedin the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, asclaimed, but is merely representative of the embodiments of theinvention.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is adecorative sanitary absorbent article for use in a filmy undergarmenthaving a certain decorative appearance or indicia. The decorativesanitary absorbent article comprises an optional permeable top sheet,and an absorbent core and an impermeable bottom sheet with a certaindecorative appearance or indicia on the impermeable bottom sheet. Thecertain decorative appearance on the impermeable bottom sheet issubstantially similar to said certain decorative appearance of theundergarment to conceal the sanitary absorbent article within theundergarment.

In one embodiment the sanitary absorbent article is a sanitary napkin,such as a maxi pad, ultra thin pad, panty liner, or adult incontinencepad, wherein the sanitary napkin is inserted by the user into the bodyside of the crotch portion of the user's underpants. In this embodimentthe certain decorative appearance is located on the impermeable bottomsheet of the sanitary napkin.

The nature of the certain decorative appearance on the sanitary napkinmay take the form of any certain decorative appearance that may be foundon underpants, including, but not limited to one or more of thefollowing: solid colors, lace patterns, polka dot patterns, stripepatterns, floral patterns, leopard skin patterns, zebra skin patterns,geometric shape patterns, text patterns, or any other graphic patterns.

The certain decorative appearance may be applied to the impermeablebottom sheet of the sanitary napkin in a variety of manners, including,but not limited to one or more of the following: direct application offabric to the impermeable bottom sheet, printing, silk screening, dying,or staining.

In a related embodiment the sanitary napkin may include lateral foldableattachment panels (wings or flaps) that project outwardly from the sideedges of the sanitary napkin. In this embodiment the certain decorativeappearance on the impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin may ormay not extend to the lateral foldable attachment panels. However, thecertain decorative appearance does appear on the lateral foldableattachment panels of the permeable top sheet.

In another embodiment the sanitary absorbent article is a nursing pad,wherein the nursing pad is inserted by the user into the body side ofthe cup portions of the user's brassiere. In this embodiment the certaindecorative appearance is located on the impermeable bottom sheet of thenursing pad.

The nature of the certain decorative appearance on the nursing pad maytake the form of any certain decorative appearance that may be found ona brassiere, including, but not limited to one or more of the following:solid colors, lace patterns, polka dot patterns, stripe patterns, floralpatterns, leopard skin patterns, zebra skin patterns, geometric shapepatterns, text patterns, or any other graphic patterns.

The certain decorative appearance may be applied to the impermeablebottom sheet of the nursing pad in a variety of manners, including, butnot limited to one or more of the following: direct application offabric to the impermeable bottom sheet, printing, silk screening, dying,or staining.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is depicted a pictorial view of apreferred embodiment of the invention, where a decorative sanitarynapkin 1 is shown as used in conjunction with a pair of underpants 2.The impermeable bottom sheet 3 of the decorative sanitary napkin 1 isshown as having a decorative appearance 4 that is substantially the sameas the decorative appearance 5 of the non-body side of the underpants 2.The permeable top sheet 6 of the decorative sanitary napkin is shown asnot having any decorative appearance. In this embodiment the underpantsmay be made from a fabric that is not opaque, such as lace, which allowsthe impermeable bottom sheet of the sanitary napkin to be viewablethrough the fabric of the underpants.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin 1 of FIG. 1, showing the certain decorative appearance 4of the impermeable bottom sheet 3 of the sanitary napkin 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin 1 of FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the permeable top sheet 6 ofthe sanitary napkin 1, wherein the permeable top sheet 6 does not have adecorative appearance.

FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin 1 of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, showing a side edge 7 of thesanitary napkin.

In FIG. 5, there is depicted a pictorial view of another preferredembodiment of the invention, where a decorative sanitary napkin 1 isshown as used in conjunction with a pair of underpants 2. Theimpermeable bottom sheet 3 of the decorative sanitary napkin 1 is shownas having a decorative appearance 4 that is substantially the same asthe decorative appearance 5 of the non-body side of the underpants 2.The permeable top sheet 6 of the decorative sanitary napkin is shown asnot having any decorative appearance. The sanitary napkin of thisembodiment further includes a pair of lateral foldable attachment panels8, wherein the permeable top sheet 9 of the lateral foldable attachmentpanels 8 is shown as having a decorative appearance 10 that issubstantially the same as the decorative appearance 5 of the non-bodyside of the underpants 2.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin 1 of FIG. 5, showing the certain decorative appearance 4of the impermeable bottom sheet 3 of the sanitary napkin 1. The sanitarynapkin of this embodiment further includes a pair of lateral foldableattachment panels 8, wherein the impermeable bottom sheet 11 of thelateral foldable attachment panels 8 is shown as not having anydecorative appearance. However, in some embodiments, not shown here,there may be a decorative appearance on the impermeable bottom sheet ofthe lateral foldable attachment panels.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin 1 of FIGS. 5 and 6, showing the permeable top sheet 6 ofthe sanitary napkin 1, wherein the permeable top sheet 6 does not have adecorative appearance. The sanitary napkin of this embodiment furtherincludes a pair of lateral foldable attachment panels 8, wherein thepermeable top sheet 9 of the lateral foldable attachment panels 8 isshown as having a decorative appearance 10.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is depicted a pictorial view of apreferred embodiment of the invention, where a decorative sanitarynapkin 1 is shown as used in conjunction with a pair of underpants 2.The impermeable bottom sheet 3 of the decorative sanitary napkin 1 isshown as having a decorative appearance 4 that is substantially the sameas the decorative appearance 5 of the non-body side of the underpants 2.The permeable top sheet 6 of the decorative sanitary napkin is shown asnot having any decorative appearance. In this embodiment the underpantsmay be made from a fabric that is opaque, which may substantially hidethe sanitary napkin from view except for where the sanitary napkinprotrudes from the edge of the underpants.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of a preferred embodiment of the decorativesanitary napkin 1 of FIG. 8, showing the certain decorative appearance 4of the impermeable bottom sheet 3 of the sanitary napkin 1.

In accordance with another disclosed embodiment of the invention, thereis provided a method of concealing from view a sanitary absorbentarticle within an undergarment having a certain decorative appearance.The method includes: providing a decorative sanitary absorbent articlehaving a distinctive appearance on the undergarment facing surface of animpermeable bottom sheet and an absorbent layer overlying thenon-undergarment facing surface of the impermeable bottom sheet and anoptional permeable top sheet overlying the absorbent layer, where thedistinctive appearance on the impermeable bottom sheet is substantiallysimilar to the certain decorative appearance of the undergarment toconceal the sanitary absorbent article from view when worn by the user;and instructing the user to insert the decorative sanitary absorbentarticle within the undergarment with the undergarment facing surface ofthe impermeable bottom sheet overlying the body side of the undergarmentto conceal the sanitary absorbent article from view when worn by theuser.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beendisclosed, it is to be understood that various different modificationsare possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope ofthe appended claims. There is no intention, therefore, of limitations tothe exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.

1. A decorative sanitary absorbent article for use in a filmyundergarment with a certain decorative appearance, comprising: anabsorbent layer and an impermeable bottom sheet with a certaindecorative appearance on the impermeable bottom sheet, wherein thecertain decorative appearance on the impermeable bottom sheet issubstantially similar to the certain decorative appearance of theundergarment to conceal the sanitary absorbent article from view withinthe undergarment.
 2. An article according to claim 1, further includinga top sheet.
 3. An article according to claim 1, wherein the decorativeappearance being applied to the impermeable bottom sheet by at least oneof direct application, printing, silk screening, dying, and staining. 4.An article according to claim 1, further including projecting outwardlylateral foldable attachment panels.
 5. An article according to claim 2,wherein the impermeable bottom sheet of the attachment panels does notbear the decorative appearance.
 6. An article according to claim 5,wherein the permeable top sheet of the attachment panels bears thedecorative appearance.
 7. An article according to claim 1, wherein thebottom sheet is sized to protrude on either side from the undergarment.8. A method of concealing from view a sanitary absorbent article withina filmy undergarment having a certain decorative appearance, comprising:providing a decorative sanitary absorbent article having a distinctiveappearance on the undergarment facing bottom surface of an impermeablebottom sheet and an absorbent layer overlying the non-undergarmentfacing surface of the impermeable bottom sheet and an optional permeabletop sheet overlying the absorbent layer; wherein the distinctiveappearance on the bottom surface of the impermeable bottom sheet issubstantially similar to the certain decorative appearance of theundergarment to conceal the sanitary absorbent article from view whenworn by the user; and instructing the user to insert the decorativesanitary absorbent article within the undergarment with the undergarmentfacing surface of the impermeable bottom sheet overlying the body sideof the undergarment to conceal the sanitary absorbent article from viewwhen worn by the user.
 9. A method of making a sanitary absorbentarticle for use within a filmy undergarment having a certain decorativeindicia thereon, comprising: securing an absorbent layer to a topsurface of an impermeable bottom sheet, wherein the bottom sheet hasdecorative indicia on the bottom surface thereof to match the certaindecorative indicia on the outer surface of the undergarment to concealfrom view the sanitary article when worn by the user.